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“You’re my safe place,” I breathed into his neck.
She had me now. She could overcome anything. I just needed to find a moment to propose to her and turn this fake engagement into a real one.
I could’ve had a father. I could’ve had a father. I could’ve felt unconditional love. I could’ve had a father who asked me how my day was, who walked me down the aisle, who taught me how to break generational curses before I started my own.
“And I don’t mean with this conversation. I mean with life. This is the last time you will ever speak to my wife. I will eviscerate whatever scraps of a life you’ve managed to salvage. Being poor will be the least of your problems.”
“And I don’t fucking care. The second you made the woman I love cry was the second you signed your death warrant. Hope you’re a fan of orange, Philomena, because it’s about to be the only color you’ll wear for the rest of your miserable life.”
Turns out, love is a demanding bitch. It waits for no one but has the audacity to be worth the wait.
“Why couldn’t I fall in love with someone like the Townsend sisters, who would single-handedly burn down an entire rainforest if it helped them plow their way into a designer sale?”
“Wait.” He silenced me with a finger to my lips. “I lost you once because of Sebastian. I love my brother, but not enough to lose you again. You come first. No matter the outcome. It’s you, Briar. Not him.”
waist. “That’s not it. Your biggest secret is that you’re more beautiful inside than you are outside. And you are really freaking beautiful outside.”
his nose, unable to stop myself. “Because the Oliver I know would never abandon his family. I wouldn’t fall in love with someone who would.”
For teaching me how to fly. For helping me regain my wings. For letting me go.
“You gave me wings, my dark tragic prince.”
I love you. I will always love you. I will only ever love you.
“If I don’t marry you—and that’s a big fucking if—I’ll make the worst husband in the entire world. Because I’ll spend every second of every minute thinking about you. When I make her laugh, it’s your giggles I’ll hear. When I kiss her, it’s your lips I’ll feel. And when I slide deep inside her, it’s your pussy I’ll imagine, dripping wet around my cock. You’ve ruined me, Briar. Completely and utterly destroyed me for every other woman on this planet. It’s you or nothing.”
My Hollywood dream pulsed through my veins, alive and vibrant. But it no longer thrilled me.
I remembered the last time I’d heard those words. Twenty-five days ago. From Briar. The only woman capable of doing what no one else ever could. Break me.
“You left her because you blamed yourself for my face, and you thought you couldn’t protect her and worse—that you didn’t deserve her. I didn’t help there. But I can help now.”
“Family has nothing to do with blood. It’s about the people who enter your life and fill up empty spaces you didn’t know existed until you can’t imagine life without them.”
“I will always search for you, Briar. Even if I never found you, I would keep scouring every corner of the earth on the slightest chance that you’d find out and realize the truth. You were always wanted. There has never been a moment in your entire life that you weren’t loved.”
Oliver von Bismarck—his gaze locked on mine and that maddening signature smirk plastered on his kissable lips.
“Time out.” I held up a hand to stop her. “We need a make-out break before we start arguing. I haven’t seen you in thirty fucking days, and I’m about two seconds from falling to my knees and begging to touch you. Personally, I’m game, but I figured you’d rather not make TMZ headlines.”
“I’m done saying goodbye to you and pretending it doesn’t make me miserable. This long-distance thing is bullshit.”
I loved how naturally protecting him came to her. She would make the best mother. Hopefully, to five kids who all looked exactly like her. And maybe one with my knack for turning everything into a disaster. Just to keep us humble.
“For the past fifteen years, I never imagined what happiness would look like. I never dared to. But the second you showed up, I couldn’t not think about it. Then, I found myself wanting it. Craving it. You make me want to be happy, Briar. You make me feel like…like maybe it’s okay if I’m happy.” The words trudged up my throat like rusted gears, forcing themselves to turn after years of neglect. It would take some time getting used to this mindset, but the sentiment remained.
“And I am so proud of the person you’ve become. I always knew you could be such a bad ass, but to actually witness it takes my fucking breath away. You were right when you said thorns belong on a rose. You’re living proof. I love that you’re strong enough to fight for yourself. I hate that you have to be. If you give me the chance, I’ll be your safe space.” “You already are, Oliver.” And because she was sweet, loving Briar, she dropped to her knees with me, clutching on to my shoulders. “You’ve been my safe space since the day we met.”
The world blurred around us and faded into nothingness. Briar threaded her fingers through my hair, tugging me closer. She tasted like roses, and sunlight, and mine. This time, I made the right decision. I chose her over the world.
“Things are changing, Ollie. You’re not alone. This time…” I squeeze his hand under the table, close enough for only us to hear. “If the sky falls, I’ll hold it up for you.”
“I spent my life hoping my daughter has the strength to rise above her struggles, but now I’m trusting you to be her soft place to fall.”
“The sky isn’t falling,” my wife promises me. “We’re holding it up together.”
